I have respect for the men who fought in WWII

[Y_lifter]

Originally posted by Testosterone boy
Duty in the Western front was a pleasure compared to the Eastern front.....for the Germans.

Truth. The Hogans Heros line about shutlz being threatened with
assignment to the eastern front was soo true..

 

[Spartacus]

That wouldn't have changed the fact that Hitler didn't believe the allies would attack there.

..actually Hitler felt that Normandy was the area for the Allied invasion

 

[Crazy Ivan]

Today's military is full of bullshit. Pencil-dicked paper-pushing Cant-cunt CO's only care about their rank and promotion. Don't give a flying fuck about their men. Now, it's all about politics not warriors.

 

[Mandinka2]

He said this "the Russians both made more sacrifices, and did more harm to the nazis than the usa."

The Russians didn't make any sacrifices because a sacrifice requires choice. The Nazis invaded Russia and were hellbent on destroying communism. The Russians had no choice but to fight. Winter weather was the primary reason for the Nazi retreat. Sacrifice is what the Americans and Canadians did. A farm boy in Iowa was under no direct threat from the Axis powers but millions like him went to fight. Without the Americans WWII would have taken much longer and it would have probably been won by the Axis powers. Remember, Russia was not fighting Japan. Without the US occupying them in the Pacific, they would have been free to attack whomever they chose.

You make such an intersting point that I had to look up whether the definition of sacrifice necessitates choice: it does not.

Main Entry: 1sac·ri·fice
Pronunciation: 'sa-kr&-"fIs, also -f&s or -"fIz
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sacrificium, from sacr-, sacer + facere to make -- more at DO
Date: 13th century
1 : an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially : the killing of a victim on an altar
2 : something offered in sacrifice
3 a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b : something given up or lost <the sacrifices made by parents>

I do not think the Axis powers would have won in any circumstances with Hitler and Goering at the helm. As Kalashnikov mentions, the Russian effort at Stalingrad was absolutely incredible. We will wait another 50 years before people will truly accept what went on there. Only the Boers and the British fought each other with such venom in the past. Japan is a joke , they were so exhausted militarily even before the dropping of the bombs that only ignorance and pride prevented early capitulation. Russia would have comfortably shredded them. I need to look up stats for this.

 

[DBCooper]

I have respect for all military, I served 4 years, the majority of my family has served. The poor pay-living conditions-and at times slave labor would be better. But all things said and done I loved what I did. I loved my family for what they did-one uncle was in a body cast for a year-one shot a woman who killed his officer he was with after she detonated her BABY as he held it to take a picture for her(he also had to lie to enter the sevice about flat feet)-my grandfather broke his neck twice and killed an SS officer in a church and was at normandy(also lied about a heart condition)- my first cousin is a chemical officer for the 101st airborne and she is a Westpoint grad- It is the soldier who is called for when the enemy is at the gates, it is the soldier not the newsman who gives you the freedom of speech, it is the soldier and not the politician who upholds the constitution, Soldier's EARN your respect and deserve it, if you are in my presence and disrespect them you will feel your arms being ripped from your body just before I snap your geek-ass-snot nosed-punk ass neck in two, as I skull fuck you.

 

[Rex]

WW2 was a brutal war. I met Bill Gaurnere from Band Of Brothers, he's from South Philly. Amazing person to talk to. Got his leg blown off in Bastogne.

Read the book "With The Old Breed" if you think the Jap military was a joke in WW2. Those mother fuckers didn't follow any of the so called "rules of war. Medics were not only fair game, but they were the targets of choice.

 

[Rockafella Skank]

..actually Hitler felt that Normandy was the area for the Allied invasion

i don't like to speak for others ususally, but i think that ariolanine was referring to the specific point of attack the allies selected versus the one that hitler thought would be used. you're correct, hitler always thought that normandy would be where it would happen. the allies selected the area to the east and south of the cherbourg peninsula. hitler thought the invasion would begin in calais, further east and north where the channel is more narrow. both locales are in normandy. he spent quite some time and expense building a defensive wall along calais that was far more formidable than what was found at utah, omaha, juno, sword and gold beaches. (hitler should have spent this time training his soldiers in france ... instead they were putting telephone poles in the ground to thwart an airborne assault and pouring cement walls for an invasion that would take place elsewhere. just one of many classic moves from such a brilliant military mind!)

Originally posted by Fast Twitch Fiber
Then again, times were different back then. I doubt there was a lot of war bashing because the reasons for fighting were so clear ...

in fact, there was quite a lot of opposition to entering the war prior to pearl harbor. they weren't marching on washington and engaging in civil disobedience necessarily, but many people in the us were affected greatly by the casualties from wwi. young men at the time, like so many young men before and after them, were going through a period in life when they rejected the ideals of their fathers -- the men who fought in the great war. in 1941, europe had already been at war for three years and the us was hoping to stay as far away from another war as possible ... especially one so soon after the last. we supported the british throught the lend lease program, but chose to let the europeans fight their own fight. but then pearl harbor was bombed and by the summer of 1942 the us was training a large number of the men who would invade europe and japan.

 

[Mandinka2]

i don't like to speak for others ususally, but i think that ariolanine was referring to the specific point of attack the allies selected versus the one that hitler thought would be used. you're correct, hitler always thought that normandy would be where it would happen. the allies selected the area to the east and south of the cherbourg peninsula. hitler thought the invasion would begin in calais, further east and north where the channel is more narrow. both locales are in normandy. he spent quite some time and expense building a defensive wall along calais that was far more formidable than what was found at utah, omaha, juno, sword and gold beaches. (hitler should have spent this time training his soldiers in france ... instead they were putting telephone poles in the ground to thwart an airborne assault and pouring cement walls for an invasion that would take place elsewhere. just one of many classic moves from such a brilliant military mind!)


in fact, there was quite a lot of opposition to entering the war prior to pearl harbor. they weren't marching on washington and engaging in civil disobedience necessarily, but many people in the us were affected greatly by the casualties from wwi. young men at the time, like so many young men before and after them, were going through a period in life when they rejected the ideals of their fathers -- the men who fought in the great war. in 1941, europe had already been at war for three years and the us was hoping to stay as far away from another war as possible ... especially one so soon after the last. we supported the british throught the lend lease program, but chose to let the europeans fight their own fight. but then pearl harbor was bombed and by the summer of 1942 the us was training a large number of the men who would invade europe and japan.

I think you're absolutely right , the second war was tame (from the Western allies perspective) compared with the great war. Sadly not too many movies are made about that particular episode....

 

[Taps]

My mothers parents served in the Air Force in WW2, that's how they met. My grandma was actually the commanding officer for all medical staff at the base hospital, and my grandpa was just some enlisted dude -- but he worked his magic and they hooked up (despite regulations).

My fathers mother is from Austria and she served in the regular German army, although I can't remember exactly what she did. She knew a bunch of SS soldiers, and according to her they were arrogant assholes. lol She even met Himler(I think?) one time at a party -- said he had bad breath and kept trying to pinch her ass. heh

Anyway, some of the stories I've gotten from them are amazing. And they were only like 18-20 years old during the war -- just kids really.

I have nothing but respect for those who serve in the military.

 

[Robert Jan]

Sacrifice is what the Americans and Canadians did. A farm boy in Iowa was under no direct threat from the Axis powers but millions like him went to fight.

There were no millions of soldiers involved in the canadian and american intervention in WWII.

I could just see them shipping millions over. wasn`t it more like 200.000